In the red square: which building in Minsk was forbidden for the Germans to bomb on pain of execution

Table of contents:

On June 22, 1941, when the war began, in Minsk, as elsewhere in the USSR, they did not understand the full scale of the catastrophe. People found out about this later. Then everyone was sure that very little time would pass and it would all end. No one doubted the strength of the Soviet Union. But every day the situation became more complicated and frightened more and more. The bombing practically did not stop. In Minsk alone, during the six-day period of bombing, 2/3 of the buildings were destroyed. But one building remained intact. And this was not an accident. On all maps of the Germans, without exception, it was marked with a red square, which meant a ban on bombing.

The building on all, without exception, the maps of the Germans was marked with a red square, which meant a ban on bombing

Mysterious building

In Minsk, 2/3 of buildings were destroyed during the six-day period of bombing

The fact that the Germans, to put it mildly, are not indifferent to beer, of course, is a stereotype, but it was this passion of theirs that played a decisive role for the construction, or rather the whole plant. There is an old brewery in Minsk. Its functioning did not stop since 1864. It was not closed either during the occupation or when there was an anti-alcohol campaign in the country.

Under the bombing ban, the Germans had the old Minsk brewery

Initially, the brewery was nothing like a full-fledged factory. There were only a few large vats in which the wort was rubbed by hand by people. It was from it that beer was subsequently brewed. Then the enterprise was modernized. For a huge amount of money, they bought steam engines abroad and the process was automated.

It was the love of beer that played a decisive role in the construction, or rather the whole plant

At the time of the arrival of the Germans, the enterprise was in approximately the same condition. The fact that the Germans were previously familiar with the quality of this beer is very doubtful. But it was decided not to touch the plant. In wartime, the Germans also needed this drink, but there was a shortage of their own resources. On June 28, 1941, after the occupation of Minsk, the Germans decided to look at the plant. They liked the product made on it. They even began to transport it to Germany little by little.

Drinking local beer, the Germans did not take into account that the Soviet people added arsenic to it

Here is just one moment they missed - the beer was brewed by our Soviet people, who added one ingredient to it called arsenic. True, over time, the workers were exposed and punished according to the laws of that time. But be that as it may, the work of the enterprise has been going on continuously for 157 years. Now the brewery produces beer under the Alivaria trademark. The quality of the drink is quite decent.